You asked, so here it is. Please note, this recipe is a guess so it may not taste or even look like the one I made and photographed in my instagram posts.
Serves 3-4 normal humans, 2 greedy giants.
1.5 tins chopped tomatoes, use the whole two tins if you are a real ‘Sauce Person’ or are at risk of dipping your bread in whilst its cooking.
a seriously generous amount of olive oil
1 tbsp crushed garlic or very finely chopped garlic, I didn’t put this in cloves because that is too risky as you might not have enough!
salt and pepper to taste
1 aubergine
5 anchovies, crushed
1 heaped tbsp capers, or however many you like!
3/4 of a packet of spaghetti, I choose this pasta because the sauce to pasta ratio is perfect
a handful of curly parsley chopped to hurl on top with a flourish
All the Parmesan you need
more really fancy pants olive oil to drizzle on top before serving, like a pro!
First tackle the aubergine, you can do this simultaneously if you are in a bit of a rush. Cut a large aubergine into cubes and fry on a medium heat with olive oil until browned but still firm. If the heat is too low the aubergine will go squishy before it browns, if the heat is too high it will burn before it tenderises. Put the aubergine aside in a bowl for later.
Add a very generous glug of olive oil to a wide based pan, I used a thick bottomed wok by Le Creuset, put the gas on low and add the garlic and plenty of pepper. Allow the heat to do its magic and the room to fill with the heady aromas of garlic and olive oil with the spice of the pepper.
Before the garlic starts to brown, this should be around 2 minutes, add the tinned chopped tomatoes, salt to taste and anchovies. Stir gently and leave to simmer for circa 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. The reduced sauce should have a deep red appearance and slightly sticky to the touch. The oil should go a wild bright red/orange colour.
Once you have the right texture cook your spaghetti to your preferred texture, drain but keep a little of the pasta water to add to the sauce (around 3 tbsps)
In the meantime gently stir in the capers and fried aubergine, then add the spaghetti and the pasta water and return to the heat to simmer for a couple of minutes so the added pasta water marries with the sauce flavours. Throw the parsley on and admire your work.
Please take a picture and tag me in it, I would LOVE to see your awesome work.
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